lattes and (a little more than) friendly competition
by teddylupin-snape
Summary: Sirius is new to the world of coffee-making, and Remus shows him the ropes. / Coffeeshop!AU, wolfstar, oneshot


"Hey, Remus, you're training the new kid today." Remus nods, and as Fabian returns to the back room, the boy behind him comes into view.

"Hey," he says, meeting Remus in front of the espresso bar. "I'm Sirius. You must be Remus?" Remus grins in response as he starts pulling shots for the iced latte order that just came through. " _This_ ," Sirius gestures – to the bar, the steaming wand, the vast array of syrup flavors – "looks complicated."

"It isn't, really. It's just a matter of getting used to it. Lucky for you, we're pretty slow this time of day. I'll be able to ease you into it all. Who knows, you may have it mastered by the time you leave today."

Sirius rolls his eyes. He may be a quick learner, but this is a tad overwhelming. Remus adds ice to the cup and hands it off before turning back to Sirius. "Let's start with a latte."

Remus pulls a mug down from the shelf behind the bar. He nestles it under the shot dispenser. He fills a small, metal pitcher with milk. Sirius is pretty sure that Remus is explaining everything he's doing as he does it, but he can't be positive. He certainly hasn't absorbed any of the information so far – how could he? Remus is far too distracting. Sirius is fixated on the way his biceps stretch the sleeves of his button-down and the way his calloused hands gently hold the mug, swirling the espresso, tapping and grooming the milk pitcher. Instead of watching the drink, he watches Remus's face as he poured the milk into the shots. His eyes hold a reverence and careful precision as he watches, as he tilts the cup _just so_ , as the milk foam creates a perfect rosette atop the crema.

Sirius hopes that he can have that same look on his face as he makes a latte. He hopes that Remus would have that same expression when looking at him.

Remus wipes the steam wand off with a cloth, letting it expel some steam before shutting it back off. He turns to Sirius. "Ready to try one?"

Sirius is taken aback. He laughs nervously. Remus can't be serious. He still barely knows what a latte is, let alone how to work this contraption in such a way that he can produce something like the art Remus just made. "Erm?"

"I'll walk you through it, don't worry. And don't try to make it look fancy yet, that takes time and a lot of practice."

So they spend the next few hours making all manners of lattes and coffees. Sirius finally has the milk-steaming process down. It looks so much easier when Remus does it. They both take a sip of Sirius's most recent creation. "This is really good," Remus says. "I think you've about got the basics down. How about we try something a little different. Let's work with flavors." Sirius eyes him. He isn't sure he's ready to move on yet, but he has to admit he's getting a bit tired of espresso and milk. "Just experiment a bit – combine whatever you think will sound good. We can make it a game – whoever comes up with the best drink wins."

"What would I win?" Sirius asks, trying and failing to keep the suggestive tone out of his voice.

"Depends on how good it is," Remus smirks. His coy response is all it takes to build Sirius's determination to win. He tries to be adventurous, a pump or two of the flavors that he thinks will win Remus over – chai, white chocolate – with whole milk and a dash of cinnamon on top. He's always hated cinnamon, personally. Remus just seems like a cinnamon person, though, and he's not going to let his own tastes stop him. The shots he pulls look just like Remus's from earlier. The milk steams with few bubbles remaining on top. He swirls and pours with the finesse of a long-time barista, or so he thinks.

Remus places his finished drink in front of Sirius, who offers his own. Sirius takes an eager sip. Remus hesitates, taking in the aroma before sipping Sirius's latte.

"Remus, this is really good," he says. It's subtle, just sweet enough without being overpowering. "What is it?"

"Just brown sugar and a bit of chocolate." Remus puts down your mug and picks up his own, taking a sip. "Does that mean I win?"

He doesn't need to say that Sirius's drink wasn't the best. Not outright, anyway. "You win by a landslide, mate. Claim your prize."

Remus thinks for a moment, humming softly. "How about we go out for a drink. A proper, non-coffee drink. Tonight?"

"I'm sold." Sirius flashes Remus a smile, and he can swear that Remus blushes.

.

 **A/N: Written for Fortnightly - Postal 2: Coffee-Shop!AU (Remus Lupin); Writing Club - Disney Challenge S4: Write about someone's day at work; Book Club – Slightly: (action) eye rolling, (object) cloth, (word) game; Showtime 33. (action) Laughing; Sophie's Shelf – Vault 81: (word) Experiment; Funfair – Southern: Hedge Maze (character) Sirius Black; Eastern: Hall of Mirrors 1 – 6. Muggle!AU; Seasonal – Days of the Year: June 1: Write a coffeeshop!AU; Gryffindor Themed Prompts: Sirius Black, Adventurous; Hamilton Mania – Act I: 18 (plot point) Trying something for the first time; Insane House Challenge – 588: (plot point) Starting the first day of a new job; 365 Prompts - 166. (job) Barista**


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